IKEA launches vegan 'veggie' hot dogs across Europe and USA

24 September 2018

Vegan hot dogs will be available in IKEA stores across the U.S. starting tomorrow, Forbes reports.

The meatless hot dog, which launched in European stores last month, is made from a vegetable-centric blend of kale, red lentils, carrot, and ginger. According to the multinational Swedish furniture giant, its vegan hot dogs are responsible for approximately seven times fewer CO2 emissions than the original meat-based counterpart. "The emissions factors are provided by external consultants and include all greenhouse gases," explained an IKEA representative.

IKEA first announced the vegan hot dogs last February as part of its efforts to provide more environmentally sustainable options for all customers. Last May, a test run took place at the Malmö location in Sweden, where IKEA develops its food range, earned a 95 percent approval rating among customers.

"With the introduction of the veggie dog, IKEA Malmö is seeing a new customer in their bistro, whether they are vegans, vegetarians, flexitariansor meat-reducers," said Peter Ho, sales leader of IKEA's U.S. food division. At the time, the veggie dog was expected to launch in America in early 2019. That same month, U.S. consumers were given a taste of the plant-based hot dog at the Boston Calling music festival.

"We are facing many challenges in the food production industry today and one of those challenges is that we need to be more sustainable," said Michael La Cour, Managing Director at IKEA Food Services AB. "With the global reach that we have at IKEA we believe that we have a responsibility and a great opportunity to serve food that is good for the planet."

The IKEA vegan hot dog is just one of the new plant-based foods that the company plans to offer in order to support a more environmentally-friendly food system. The brand already offers a vegan version of its signature Swedish meatballs, plant-based caviar, and dairy-free ice cream and doughnuts at its U.K. locations. Last June, the company announced that it would launch dairy-free soft serve ice cream in time for summer 2019.